I find it ironic that we're seeing a movement to squash collective bargaining emminate from the heartland where farm cooperatives have been a mainstain for business operations. According to the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives the purpose of a cooperative is

Why Are Cooperatives Organized?

Strengthen bargaining power

Maintain access to competitive markets

Capitalize on new market opportunities

Obtain needed products and services on a competitive basis

Improve income opportunities

Reduce costs

Manage risk

What Are Farmer Cooperatives?

In agriculture, there are nearly 3,000 farmer cooperatives whose members include a majority of our nation's 2 million farmers and ranchers. These include:

Marketing cooperatives - which handle, process and market virtually every commodity grown and produced in the United States.

Bargaining cooperatives - which bargain to help their farmer members obtain reasonable prices for the commodities they produce.

Farm supply cooperatives - those engaged in the manufacture, sale and/or distribution of farm supplies and inputs, as well as energy-related products, including ethanol and biodiesel.

Credit cooperatives - include the banks and associations of the cooperative Farm Credit System that provide farmers and their cooperatives with a competitive source of credit and other financial services, including export financing.

One of the really weird ironies of politics these days is the huge divergence between what the American people actually want and what the radical right-wingers in Washington actually do. You won’t hear this on Fox So-Called News, but right now the American people are as progressive as they ever have been.